In the early hours of Sunday morning, an Israeli air strike hit Al Maemadani Hospital in Gaza City, causing severe damage to critical facilities and rendering the hospital completely out of service. The attack targeted the hospital’s reception building and ignited fires in key departments including the emergency unit, laboratory, and pharmacy. The facility, which serves a population of over one million people in Gaza and its northern areas, has now ceased operations.
According to medical sources, the strike was preceded by explicit warnings from the Israeli military, prompting hospital staff to evacuate patients and wounded individuals under extreme conditions. Dozens of civilians were forced to seek shelter outdoors amid cold weather. A young girl who had been previously wounded died during the evacuation, and several patients face life-threatening conditions due to the absence of urgent medical care.
This marks the second time Al Maemadani Hospital has been targeted since the outbreak of hostilities. On 17 October 2023, a prior strike resulted in the deaths of 471 Palestinians and injured hundreds more, many of whom were internally displaced persons sheltering inside the hospital at the time. The facility, operated by the Anglican Episcopal Church, is recognised as a civilian medical institution under international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military, in a statement published on its official platform, claimed the hospital was being used as a command site by Hamas. Similar allegations have frequently been cited in past incidents involving strikes on schools, hospitals, and shelters. Human rights monitors have repeatedly called for independent investigations into such claims, noting the lack of publicly available evidence and the obligation to protect civilian infrastructure regardless of alleged use.
The targeted strike has raised renewed concerns about the systematic impact of military operations on Gaza’s healthcare system.Al Maemadani was among the few remaining hospitals still functioning in the northern Gaza Strip, amid an already collapsed health sector due to continued hostilities and blockade-related restrictions.
International humanitarian law, particularly Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, mandates the protection of civilian hospitals under all circumstances. The deliberate targeting of such facilities may constitute a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and could fall under the definition of war crimes as stipulated in Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Human rights organisations have emphasised the legal and moral imperative to safeguard medical personnel and infrastructure during armed conflict. The latest attack underscores the urgent need for accountability mechanisms to address potential violations and to ensure the protection of civilians and essential services during ongoing hostilities.
The international community has been repeatedly urged to act in accordance with its obligations under international law to prevent further attacks on protected sites. As the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, human rights monitors stress that failure to enforce legal protections risks further erosion of humanitarian norms and prolonged suffering for affected populations.
